Pause to Reflect

It’d been one of those days. Long. From 7 a.m. it was busy with check ins, check outs, paperwork, dealing with people and all the things that went in to running an RV park in summer. It was warm, no real break for lunch as eating on the run was common. 8 pm the busy kept coming. It paused at 845 or so.

I looked over. “Lock the door!” While I did that she grabbed the adult beverages that had been chilling in the cooler. As we sat down behind the counter another rig pulled up outside. “Night drop gets it” as the bottles clinked. A break was needed.

It was just one of the memories shared. Helen and I weren’t blood relative but bond relatives for sure. We finished each others sentences. Looked at each other and spoke things at the same time or, sometimes one warned the other “DON’T verbalize that!” The standing joke is if it was said it’s likely to happen.

Five years ago that was ended. The last time I saw her, she knew and I knew it’d be the end. She was in a body, aware but unable to speak. She squeezed my hand and I squeezed back. The questions and answers passed without anyone aware. She never wanted to be like that. Always active.

It will be some quiet moments today remembering. The world is moving on. Connor is no longer a boy of 11 but a young man of 16. He has ideas that are troubling, and some comforting, and isn’t moved to tears as much anymore. He’s grown and will take that foundation she gave forward. It was far from perfect but as she used to say “I don’t know how but we did good with him.”

There was the skunk we named Bart, altered to Ms Bart when ‘he’ came forth with a half dozen little ‘Barts’. The noises in the office at night that no one else would work past 8, lest they hear unexplained noises. There were many memories, many phone calls.

Yes, some memories today and a little private memorial. Minus the Tequiza.